


From The Ashes

by AntOne7324



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alexandria Safe-Zone (Walking Dead), Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drama, F/M, Grady Memorial Hospital (Walking Dead), Minor Character Deaths, Post-Prison (Walking Dead), Rewrite, Sexual Content, Tension, Terminus, Woodbury (Walking Dead)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-18
Updated: 2019-11-27
Packaged: 2021-02-08 10:27:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,442
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21474490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AntOne7324/pseuds/AntOne7324
Summary: An alternate scenario where The Governor doesn't meet Tara's family after destroying Woodbury, instead he ends up meeting Dawn Lerner at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. Despite originally having intended to kill himself, the Governor sees this as a possible opportunity to start fresh and redeem his cold waysThe Governor becomes familiar with the group, he easily notices tension and plans from Dawn's own men to overthrow her. He must make a choice to help save Dawn from being killed or let the temptation of taking power and being in control consume him
Relationships: Philip Blake | The Governor/Dawn Lerner
Comments: 7
Kudos: 6





	1. Ruination

**Author's Note:**

> Some of you might be aware of this story under the official story - What Comes Next, with very bad grammar. I know, I looked back at it a week ago and couldn't believe how terrible it was, despite telling a good story. Anyway, I decided to rewrite it because I always intended to write an entire series on The Governor surviving along with Dawn and I tend to do just that. No more distractions. Wolves Not Far will be rewritten as well
> 
> Like before with Rick, Glenn, Michonne, Aaron, Nicholas, and Eric, they will come in much later in the story. Since this is mainly about The Governor and Dawn
> 
> Martinez and his group will appear in 20 onwards with a special twist

_Gunfire. Screams. Panic on a desolate road. Bodies dropping left, right and center. Silence. Another bullet is fired and another and another _

The Governor immediately wakes up in a small yellow tent from this nightmare of him killing all of his people after a failed attack on Rick Grimes's group at the prison. However, it wasn't a nightmare, it was real and it did actually happen. In fact, it's a miracle the Governor had managed to get any sleep at all following this incident

He became deeply ashamed of his actions, he was supposed to protect his people, not kill them. And yet he did. The Governor was blinded by rage and his desire for revenge against Michonne for killing his daughter that affected his better judgment. This was the first time since the outbreak had begun and became the leader of Woodbury that The Governor felt shame, guilt, and remorse

The Governor is a hardened survivor who saw the world for what it really was and do whatever it takes to survive to protect the ones he cared about. He did what he had to, to ensure the survival of not just himself but Woodbury. He killed outsiders for their supplies, lied to them, manipulated them. But not once did he turn on his own people, unless he felt that they were traitors and deserved to die

But those people he killed last night didn't, and he knew that

The Governor grabbed his eyepatch and covers it over his mutilated right eye, he unzips his tent and braces himself for the day ahead. For the first time in his life, the Governor doesn't know where to go or what to do next. But as long as he has his two most loyal henchmen by his side, Caesar Martinez and Shumpert, he may just be alright 

When the Governor finally makes his way out of his tent and stands to his feet, he looks around at the campsite to find it completely empty. Martinez and Shumpert were nowhere to be seen, they were gone. All that was left at the campsite is boxes of crates and a truck that used to belong to a small group of National Guard soldiers that The Governor had slaughtered months ago

The Governor is now truly alone and broken. He killed his people and the ones he spared have deserted him. He takes a few steps forward, placing hands on his hips and looks up at the sky

I don't blame them. I deserve this thought The Governor as he feels soul falling into a dark abyss of which there is no escape

The Governor has nothing. No power. No respect. No friends or loved ones. The broken tyrant has now hit rock bottom

_There's only one thing left to do_ thought The Governor as he opened his eye, turned towards the truck and walked over to it. As he opened the truck, he notices that the keys were left in the ignition

Not even thinking of the possibility of whether or not the truck could even work, The Governor gets in the truck, shuts the door and turns the key. The engine of the truck roared to life as he puts his hands on the wheel and drives full speed away from the campsite and back to Woodbury 

*****

When The Governor arrived at Woodbury, instead of slowing down and waiting for someone to open the gates, he drives through the gates at full force and shattering it into a thousand pieces. The Governor had two things on his mind - destroy Woodbury and burn it to the ground, so that no one could claim the town he had stabilized and given protection. That and to no longer be associated with it

Once he had parked the truck and getting out of it, the Governor walked up the streets and takes a trip down memory lane. The Governor remembers when he had first arrived in Woodbury with his daughter, Milton and his brother. The town was in complete chaos with no form of protection and the ones in charge where the National Guard

The National Guard didn't care about the people in Woodbury, all they cared about was themselves and what they could get out of them. When they decided to get their act together and stabilize Woodbury, they tried to rule through fear. That is until Philip Blake had made himself known. By then, he had lost both his daughter to a Walker biting her and his brother Brian who lost who he was and had to put him down

Philip killed the leader of the National Guard soldiers, met and formed an alliance with Martinez along with the citizens to take out the remaining soldiers and reclaim Woodbury. When that happened, Philip became their leader and was given that infamous nickname - The Governor. From there, Woodbury became a thriving community after The Governor's rule. It had walls with people patroling 24/7 to prevent Walkers and unwanted people from invading, and plenty of food

The Governor's thoughts quickly switched to the day where he met Michonne and Andrea, where his life would never be the same again. He tried to be reasonable with Michonne but she wasn't having it, unlike Andrea. Michonne would constantly poke her nose into the Governor's business where it didn't belong, till it came to the point where Michonne got herself intentionally kicked out of Woodbury

But the trouble didn't stop there. No. The Governor would encounter Michonne again on the night where she, Rick and his people attacked Woodbury to reclaim Maggie Greene and Gleen Rhee who Merle Dixon took captive to find where his brother, Daryl Dixon was. The Governor would be forced to watch Michonne kill Penny right in front of him, from there a struggle broke out which resulted in the Governor having his right eye stabbed 

From that point on, it was an all-out war between the Governor and Rick Grimes. The Governor wanted Rick's group dead and to torture Michonne in retaliation for his daughter's death. This desire caused a huge strain on his relationships with both Andrea and Milton Mamet, where they both turned on him, resulting in their deaths

The Governor snaps out of his thoughts as he arrives at the warehouse where he usually brings his prisoners for interrogation, torture, death and checking on Milton's experiments on the Walkers. As he enters the abandoned building and walking down a few corridors, it finally dawned on him how empty Woodbury is. The people that did not participate in their leader's attacks at the prison and left behind where nowhere to be seen

_Rick must have taken them_ thought The Governor

The Governor comes across the room where he kept both Milton and Andrea as prisoners, he stands in the doorway seeing Milton's body laid across the ground, and Andrea's body slumped by the wall

_I'm sorry!_

The Governor steps out of the doorway and down to the end of the corridor, turning towards his left and entering a small room. He grabs two large petrol bottles and a packet of matches. Once he threw splashes of petrol around the warehouse and setting fire to it, the Governor returns to the town square and entered his apartment. He grabbed a backpack from his bedroom and gathered what little of supplies he had left

Once done, the Governor spots a family photo of himself, his wife and their daughter Penny placed in the middle of his desk. He walks over to the desk, picking the framed photo up that almost reduced him to tears. Knowing that brings him some form of comfort, the Governor takes the photo out of the frame, folds it in half and stuffs it inside his pocket

The Governor proceeded to not just trash his apartment and set fire to it, he went into every single building in Woodbury, trashed and set fire to it. For a few moments, The Governor watched as the entire town he built to go up in smoke, but he knew he couldn't stay much longer because there were already a small group of Walkers entering the place

Watching Woodbury burn in front of him is like watching him die from another person's point of view. He was glad, he was glad goddamn it. Everything he had done since arriving in Woodbury is now gone, he was no longer the Governor. He's just Philip Blake now 

Satisfied, the Governor quietly left Woodbury without any trouble from the Walkers roaming around since their attention is focused on the fires. The Governor could have easily allowed one of the Biters to bite into his keck, however, because of his actions he felt that his punishment must be more severe

The Governor now traveled alone on foot, carrying a backpack and his gun, it was now time to carry out the final phase of his plan. He's destroyed Woodbury and the only other attachment to his life. All that is left for the fallen Governor is to talk along the road aimlessly and use up the supplies he has left. When that's done, he will walk until he cannot walk anymore and wait for death to claim him 


	2. Despair

Three months have passed since The Governor destroyed Woodbury, and ever since then, he's become a shell of his former self. His appearance gave off the impression that he was a homeless man drifting from town to town. The length of his hair grew down to shoulder length, it was messy and unkempt. The Governor even had a long beard to go with his disheveled look. Clothes tattered and torn

A man that has lost everything he had cared about due to being plagued by memories of the horrible deeds he has committed. He was now at the point that he no longer felt any emotions. No sadness. No guilt. No remorse. No anger. Just nothing. In fact, if anyone were to encounter him right now, they would mistake the Governor for a Walker due to the way he looked and walked

As of today, the Governor has officially run out of supplies, carrying nothing but an empty backpack over his back. He didn't bother looking for supplies when passing through homes and buildings. Why would we? He didn't deserve to carry on living. Not after slaughtering his people and burning down Woodbury

He also hasn't been able to sleep for the past several days, as the nightmares and thoughts kept getting stronger and stronger 

The Governor crossed a line and entered a dark place of which there was no turning back. He didn't even care about getting revenge on Rick or Michonne at this point. They were nothing to him and he was nothing to them. All that was left for the fallen tyrant is to walk until he couldn't walk anymore and die from exhaustion

While walking down a desolate road somewhere in Georgia, the Governor comes a barn containing several different messages and names - Brian Heriot...........Casey Jones died...... every one is dead.....we love you Brian

_Brian Heriot. We love you Brian_

That message of people loving Brian Heriot shakes The Governor to his very core. Whoever Brian Heriot was, he was a guy that was certainly loved by those around him. He's a man that had friends and family, he had everything. He wasn't feared or loathed, unlike the Governor

The Governor has nothing in his life and no longer has any purpose to continue on living in this cold dark world. He was feared, loathed, despised.......a monster. A monster that needs to be put down

He hangs his head in despair, accepts his fate and carries on walking down the road

It didn't take long for the Governor to come across a deserted town and like before, instead of looking for supplies, he walks right on through without a care in the world. A badly decomposed male Walker spots the broken tyrant and makes his way over to him 

The Governor sees the Walker but makes no effort to move out of the way or even kill it. Perhaps today is the day for him to finally die. He's been walking for several weeks now, not sleeping and most of his energy already sapped from his being

_Do it! Now is the time. Allow this Biter to claim your life and end your miserable existence_

The Governor slowers his pace, even more, to allow the Walker to come right at him, take a deep bite into his neck and allow death to claim him. Today is the day. There's no going back from this. It is what he deserves

_Do it_

_Do it_

_Do it_

Just as it looked like the end was near for the Governor, he effortlessly sidesteps from the Walker, which caused it to trip and fall to the ground 

_No.......not yet. I still have some energy left in m_e

The Governor walked past the Walker and carried on walking down the street, what he didn't notice is that from a corner of the street from where he sidestepped the Walker is a patrol car belonging to the Atlanta Police Department. The two men inside, Officer Gorman and O'Donnell were enjoying their break from gathering supplies and scouting for new people to bring back to their camp in Atlanta until they spotted the Governor's interaction with the Walker 

" Well, that's something you don't see every day. The poor fuck must be suicidal or something" said Gorman as he watched the Governor disappearing from his sight 

O'Donnell shakes his head " Not at all" he then smiled as a lightbulb goes off in his head, which prompts him to turn to his friend " You think we should bring him in?"

Gorman looked at O'Donnell and smiled " Might as well. He looks in need of saving" he chuckled amusingly

" It would be a shame to leave him out here on his own and let him waste away," said O'Donnell as he started engine and drives to where the Governor is heading 

The Governor starts walking across the bridge, tired and weary due to sleepless nights and nonstop day to day walking, he now truly feels this is the end for him. His energy is nearly gone and no longer has the will to carry on

_Gameover _

The Governor drops his belongings and finally collapses in the middle of the road, he closes his eyes and passes out from exhaustion, not realizing that fate has other plans for him as O' Donnell's car strolls right behind him

O'Donnell and Gorman get out of the car, walked around and grabbed the Governor by his arms and legs. They carry him to the back of the vehicle

" You think you can hold him for a bit, while I open the door?" asked Gorman

O'Donnell nodded his head and said nothing

Gorman releases his grip on the Governor's legs, walked over to one of the back doors of the car and opens it. He then returned to his original standing post and picks up the Governor's legs once more

The two men manage to safely place the Governor on the back seat of the car before shutting the door and locking it. O'Donnell hops back into driver's seat, while Gorman quickly swept up the Governor's belongings and stuffed them in the boot, he then quickly straps himself in the passenger seat again

O'Donnell starts the car again and proceeds to drive back to their camp in Atlanta. While in between the drive, the Governor wakes up every few seconds, hearing Gorman and O'Donnell talking to each other about something he couldn't make out before passing out again

When the Governor wakes up again, from what little view he could see in between the chairs of O'Donnell and Gorman, he sees the city of Atlanta dead ahead before passing out for the fifth time


	3. You Owe Us

The Governor awakens to find himself lying in a hospital room, fully refreshed after getting some much-needed rest. He has no idea as to how he managed to wound up in a hospital because the last thing he remembered was collapsing in the middle of a road on a bridge. The Governor then has a curious thought and wondered if everything that has happened since the outbreak was only a dream

_Was it just a dream? Did I really do all those things and become this Governor of a town called Woodbury?_

The Governor places his hand over his right eye, only to feel that the eyepatch is still covering his right eye. He then lowered his hand to feel his beard and sighs in disappointment. It wasn't a dream unfortunately, everything that happened is real. However, it doesn't explain the fact that he went from collapsing on a road to waking in a hospital bed

He turns his body around to the edge of the bed and sees the decaying city of Atlanta through a window. The sight of the city briefly brought back memories of the Governor traveling through this city along with his brother, Brian Blake, his daughter Penny and his friend Milton, when it was believed that Atlanta had set up a refugee camp

The Governor gets off the bed and walked over to the window in front of him to get a better look at the city, his hand touching the window. He remembered how he, his brother, Milton and Penny barely made it out of Atlanta, after discovering there was no camp but a city filled with the dead

Funny how time seems to fly by. That incident seemed like an entire lifetime ago

The Governor immediately realizes he is wearing a different set of clothes, his torn and ripped clothes were replaced with a teal scrubs outfit a patient would normally wearing during before or after surgery

_Why me?_ The Governor asked himself _What did I do to deserve being saved?_

The door to the room suddenly opens which interrupted the Governor's thoughts, which immediately prompted him to spin around and see two people entering the room. One is obviously a doctor judging by his attire and stethoscope placed around his neck, who look to be balding as he has short black hair, a beard and wearing glasses

The Governor then turns his attention on the female standing beside the doctor who is slightly shorter than the doctor, dressed in a police uniform and her hair tied back into a bun. The Governor notices the name badge on the female officer which read - Lieutenant Dawn Lerner

Judging by the way she presented and carried herself, it's clear to the Governor that Dawn is obviously the one in charge around these parts

" I'm Doctor Edwards and this is....." said The doctor before being interrupted by his new patient

" Dawn Lerner. I can see her badge" replied The Governor " How long was I out?" he asked them

Dawn looked at the Governor " You were out for two days. You're lucky to be alive considering the shape you were in when my men found you. If they didn't, you'd probably be dead by now"

" Well, I didn't need saving" grunted the Governor

" I beg to differ. Look at you, you're a mess. Even after sleeping for two days. If my men didn't find you, the roamers would have made a meal out of you. Although, one of my men did say you nearly allowed one to bite you until you stepped out of the way. Why is that?" she asked him

The Governor said nothing as he turned his back to Dawn and Doctor Edwards to gaze at the city through the window again 

Dawn looked at him intently and becomes curious to know why he wasn't grateful to be alive. It's clear to her, that this man has been through the wringer multiple times while surviving out there. Just even looking at him right now after having two days of rest, there's something about not quite right about him, she isn't sure what it is but it's something eating away at him 

" Do you have a name?" asked the Doctor

The Governor thought about Doctor Edward's question for a moment. If this is a sign that he isn't meant to die and has a chance to start over, there's no way he wanted to be associated with his former life as The Governor or even Philip Blake for that matter. He considered those men to have died long ago and all that's left is a strange combination of the two. He then remembered reading the names on the barn he had past two days earlier with one coming to his mind

" Brian" answered the Governor as he turned around to face Dawn and the doctor again " Brian Heriot!"

As much as Dawn wanted to know more about this man with the eyepatch in front of her and why it seemed like he wanted to die, she had a schedule to keep and decided to hold off on her questions for a later date

" Here's the bottom line, Brian. My men saved you" stated Dawn as she noticed the Governor looking directly her way now " We saved you. So you owe us"

_Excuse me?_ thought The Governor as he looked at Dawn rather oddly

" Doctor Edwards is going to need help in disposing of a patient that has just died and then he's going to turn you over to someone who can give you proper clothing," said Dawn as she turned around and headed for the door

" Thank you!"

Dawn stopped in the doorway and turned to face the Governor again " So you should be. I don't know what you went through or what's going on up there, but taking the easy way out by killing yourself isn't the way forward. That's the coward's way and we don't get to do that. Not now or ever"

" Well, you don't have to worry about me anymore, Dawn. As far as I'm concerned, I've been given a second chance to start fresh. I tend to not waste it or repeat what I did before landing myself here" said The Governor 

Dawn nodded her head " Glad to hear it, Brian. We'll talk later and you can tell me your story" she then turned around and left the room 


	4. Observations

  
The Governor followed Doctor Edwards out of his room and down a dark corridor, as he did he immediately picked up an uneasy vibe as he sees other residents in Grady Memorial in nearby rooms, both men and women looking miserable and frightened, even. One by one the patients all closed their doors when the Governor passed them by along with Doctor Edwards

Despite only being in Grady Memorial for only a short time, the Governor can feel the tension in the air, it is so thick he can cut it with a knife. It appears that behind this facade of helping and welcoming newcomers lies a dark hidden secret to the hospital

_Sounds like Woodbury_ thought, The Governor. He now wondered if Dawn is anything like he was when he was a leader. In public did she present herself as a strong and caring leader, while hiding her dark nature and how she really run things in Grady?

The Governor's instincts told him that there's more to Dawn and Grady than meets the eye. He may not know exactly what it is, but he knows for certain that something is going on behind the scenes. All he has to do is wait a while, take note and do more observations to get a better feel of the place, Dawn and her men 

" Just in here," said Doctor Edwards as he turned to the corridor on his left and entered the first room on the right 

The Governor followed the Doctor down the corridor on the left and into the first room on his right. He sees an old man who is unconscious and confined to a life support machine. The Governor enters the room and walked over to the left side of the bed, while Doctor Edwards walked over to the right side where the life support machine is hooked 

" His name is Jack Anderson" revealed Doctor Edwards, as he looked at The Governor " Dawn's men, found him a couple of weeks ago. From the look of things, Mr. Anderson had taken a serious blow to the head and hasn't been able to wake up"

The Governor nodded his head and said nothing, he looked down at Jack before looking at the life support machine again

" It's too bad it had to end this way" Doctor Edwards said sadly as he reluctantly flips the switch on the machine and turns it off. In a matter of seconds, Jack Anderson passed away, which left the Governor stunned

" Why? Why did you do that?" asked The Governor

Doctor Edwards looked at the one-eyed man " It's Dawn's call. If people like Jack don't wake up in a certain amount of time, they are no use to her and they die" he replied

" No use to her? What does that mean?" asked The Governor with one eyebrow raised at the doctor in front of him

Doctor Edwards sighed " You saw the people looking at you weirdly right? Before closing the door"

The Governor nodded " Yeah" meeting Doctor Edward's grim gaze

" Dawn has this rule, where if you're healthy enough to move around. Then you must repay your debt off with several chores. Like cleaning rooms and mopping floors for example. If you don't comply or do what she tells you to do, then you get punished" Doctor Edwards said grimly 

" But that's ridiculous. People should be allowed to leave if they want" replied the Governor as he thought back to when he kept outsiders he brought into Woodbury from leaving

Doctor Edwards shrugs his shoulders " Try telling her that. Dawn believes that sooner or later, someone or a group of people are going to come and collect us. Take us to a more secure place and wait till this whole thing blows over. Until then, everyone has to give back and contribute"

" I see. My gut tells me there's something more to this" expressed The Governor 

Doctor Edwards nodded his head " You're instincts serve you well. But I'd rather not get into at this stage. Considering we both have a job to do. Carry Mr. Anderson's legs will you" he then grabbed both of Jack's arms

The Governor grabbed Jack's legs, he along with Doctor Edwards carefully lift the body up and away from the bed with Doctor Edwards at the front and walking backward out of the room, while the Governor held a firm grip on Jack's leg and walked forwards

Once they left the room, they proceeded to head further down to the end of the corridor where there's an open elevator shaft. Doctor Edward's groaned due to the weight of carrying Jack's body and doing his best to not drop him, while the Governor had no problems at all

" Ok, now I'm going to need you to turn to your left" directed Doctor Edwards as he changed gears while nearing the open elevator shaft and turning to his right

" Where are we taking him?" asked The Governor as he did what the doctor told him and turned to his left

" When people die, we usually throw them down there" answered Doctor Edwards as he turned his head towards the open elevator shaft " It makes the job easy and less stressful"

The Governor turned his head to look at the open elevator shaft, he thought it's odd and nonpractical to throw a body down the shaft, but it wasn't his call to make

" Ahh shit, I don't think I can hold on much longer. Do you think you can throw Mr. Anderson down there?" asked Doctor Edwards, barely holding on to Jack's arms

" Sure" replied the Governor " I'll stand him up, so you can gently push him over to me" he carefully lowers Jack's legs to the ground before letting go of his grip and standing upright again 

Doctor Edwards let's go of Jack's arms, gently adjusting him a little and carefully nudges the body over the Governor and quickly gets out of the way. From there, the Governor quickly grabbed hold of Jack's shirt, moves closer to the elevator shaft and roughly shoves Jack's body down the shaft before hearing a splat

" Thank you, Brian," said the Doctor as he turned towards the Governor

" Yeah, no problem" replied the Governor " Assuming Dawn has complete control over this place. Mind if I go down to the canteen to grab something to eat before taking me to someone to give me proper clothes?"

Doctor Edwards smiled at the Governor and shakes his head " Not at all. By all means" he holds up his right arm to look at his wristwatch " Almost lunchtime anyway. When you're done, come back up here. I'll be around somewhere" he said

The Governor nods and parts ways with Doctor Edwards

****

When he arrived on the ground floor and with a bit of help from some of the officers, it didn't take long for the Governor to find the canteen. Once entering, the Governor sees a woman with blonde hair at the front of the counter where Gorman is standing on the other side of the counter

Gorman takes a quick glance at the food on the woman's tray in front of him and nodded in satisfaction. He looks away from the woman to pick up an open book with a pen placed in the middle he left beside him, he holds it up and begins jotting down notes

The blonde woman felt sick to her stomach with Gorman's never-ending lustful gaze upon her, she hated him with every fiber of her being and wanted to kill this pig but never mustered the courage to do so

" Can I go now pig?" asked the woman

Gorman puts the book and pen down " What did you say?" frowning at the woman

" You heard me!" hissed the woman while gripping the tray with her hands

Just as Gorman is about to respond, he notices the Governor now walking over to grab a tray and fill it with food " Well if it isn't Sleeping Beauty. It's about time you woke up" he said in a mocking tone

The Governor said nothing because there wasn't much he wanted to say to a guy like Gorman, he already didn't like the man after observing Gorman's attitude and leering looks at the woman who had quickly taken the opportunity to grab her tray and find herself a seat

" You know it wouldn't kill you to show your appreciation to a guy that just saved your ass," said Gorman while looking at the Governor " Unless you want me to write all this stuff down" 

The Governor again said nothing as he grabbed his tray, turned around and headed to the back of the room to sit

" Suit yourself," said Gorman as he quickly writes down what the Governor is eating in his big black book. When done, he takes a quick look to where the woman he was talking to before escaped too

Gorman sees the woman two rows down in the canteen, he closes the book and puts it down, walks around the counter and makes his way over to the woman to show his dominance and control over her again 

" Now where were we, Ms. Rachel. Oh yes, I believe you were owed me an apology" said Gorman as leans forward and pressing his body against Rachel's back

Rachel drops her fork, jumps out of her seat and turned to face Gorman " Leave me alone"

Gorman smirked at Rachel as he moved his hand around Rachel's lower back and groping her ass in front of everyone including the Governor

" Don't touch me!" exclaimed Rachel, she violently pulls Gorman's arm and hands away from her ass

Gorman chuckled " You know, you like it. Who are you fooling"

Rachel musters up all the saliva in her mouth and uses it to spit on Gorman's face in disgust, she then attempted to walk past the lustful officer. However, Gorman quickly grabs Rachel's arm, pulls her back and punches her across the face, which sends Rachel crashing to the ground

" That'll teach you, smart mouth whore" growled Gorman before landing a hard kick to Rachel's stomach. He then notices the Governor watching him from the corner of his right eye, he turns his head to look at the one-eyed man and smile at him

Gorman wipes the spit off his face, not taking his horrible smug grin away from the Governor, and showing no remorse for his actions. He then finally turned around and left Rachel on the ground 

The Governor watched Gorman leave the canteen while also casually glancing over at Rachel who slowly stands to her feet and returning to her table. He now understands why Doctor Edwards was hesitant to tell him how bad things really were in Grady Memorial. But what he didn't realize is this is just the tip of the iceberg


	5. Noah And Joan

After finishing his lunch and returning to the fourth floor of Grady Memorial, The Governor wandered down the corridor looking for Doctor Edwards to take him to someone where he can wear proper clothing, instead of still wearing this long teal scrub dress thing. So far there is no sign of the good doctor but it didn't matter, the Governor became occupied with the incident between Gorman and that woman in the canteen

The way Gorman treated that woman was absolutely disgusting and he only did it just because he can. That and physically attacking her in front of everyone else including him in the room

_Coward,_ thought the Governor

What made it even more sickening is how Gorman looked over at the Governor with a smug grin on his face as if to say " I can do whatever I like to this woman and anyone else, and there's not a thing you can do about it"

Does Dawn know about this? Of course not and why would she? She's a leader to these people for goodness sake. There's no way she would allow her men to mistreat those under their care

The Governor may not have been the perfect role model or leader, but at least he never allowed his men to do as they please to the residents of Woodbury. He may have lied to them and manipulated them, but he never treated them badly. The Governor did what he had to in order to keep them alive and Woodbury going 

If he wanted to, the Governor could easily put Gorman in his place, kill Dawn and takeover Grady Memorial. But he's not that man anymore, that part of him died when Woodbury went up in smoke. However, it doesn't mean to say the Governor is a complete pussy cat because he's not. If he has to kill someone when his life his threatened or those that he cares for, he will without a second thought

But taking power and being a leader again? No. The Governor cannot go down that road again, he just can't

As the Governor turned down a corridor on his right, he begins hearing two voices coming from the first room. He already recognized one of the voices which belonged to Dawn, the other though from what the Governor could make out is a male who has a deep voice

" We will find Joan. You can count on that!" Dawn said decisively

Curious to know who Joan is and because he had nothing better else to do, the Governor pressed his back against the wall near the room where Dawn is talking to one of her men and slowly moves over to the doorway. When there, the Governor tilts his head forward and takes a small peak into the room

The Governor sees Dawn working out on the treadmill, while also seeing a young teenage African American boy named Noah dressed in a more appropriate teal attire - shirt, pants, and white shoes

" Do you really believe that?" asked Noah as he folded up the rest of Dawn's police uniform 

Dawn looked stoically at Noah who still had his back to her" Joan is alive and if she was dead, I would have known by now. Trust me, we'll find her"

" Sure" replied Noah as he picked up Dawn's uniform from her bed

" Until we find her, you're on laundry duty" announced Dawn as she stopped using the treadmill, grabbed her towel that wrapped around one of the handlebars and used it to wipe her face

" And I want them washed separately and pressed"

Noah rolled his eyes " Yeah, yeah" he turns around to face her

" Don't get smart with me. It's yes ma'am or yes Dawn" scolded the bossy woman

Noah half-smiled at Dawn " Yes, Dawn. Can I go now?"

" Get out of here," said, Dawn

The Governor, who managed to remain unnoticed by Dawn and Noah quickly plucked his head away before being spotted, he then takes a few steps back to pretend he wasn't listening to their conversation and slowly pass through Dawn's room 

Dawn immediately spotted the Governor " Brian! Why aren't you in proper clothing?" she asked him, which prompt the one-eyed man to stop walking and turning to face her

" I got hungry and went down to the canteen. The doctor said it was ok, as long as I return and find him. But I haven't been able to yet" explained to the Governor as he now stands in Dawn's doorway 

Noah looked at the Governor and smiled taking note of his appearance " You look like a pirate, with the beard and eyepatch. Just missing the wooden leg" he joked

" Brian, here, is our newest resident, Noah. You can take him over to laundry and give him proper clothing" ordered Dawn while looking at the Governor 

" Sure. It's not like I'm going anywhere" said Noah in a sarcastic tone " Come on, Bri. Follow me"

The Governor nodded his head " Nice to meet you" he replied as he turned around and walked out of Dawn's room before Noah did

" You should shave that beard off and maybe cut your hair" suggested Dawn

The Governor turned around to face Dawn again and said nothing

" It doesn't suit you"

" I'll keep that in mind"

Once Noah left the room with Dawn's uniform, he beckoned the Governor to follow him down the corridor by moving his head, to which the Governor did. It didn't take long for the conversation between Noah and the Governor to pick up again 

" Allow me to be the first to welcome you to Hell" joked, Noah

" With what I've heard and seen so far, you're not wrong" The Governor commented

Noah looked at the Governor " You might as well get used to it, Brian. Once you're brought here, you're basically here for life. They say you can leave when your debt has been cleared but that's a lie" he then turned down the next corridor on his left with the Governor

" How long have you been here?" asked the Governor

Noah thought about the Governor's question for a brief moment " At least.....a year. Maybe two years, I don't know. Feels like a lifetime. I was here with my dad when Dawn's men found us. But with the dead closing in, they could only save one of us and of course, they choose me"

The Governor said nothing and just listened while making brief eye contact with the other residents in Grady Memorial, including Dawn's officers while following Noah over to the laundry room 

" For a long time, I believed them. But now?" Noah shakes his head " Not so much. I now know the truth. They saved me because my dad was bigger and stronger than they are, he would have fought back and not listen to Dawn's bullshit. They saved me because they believed I'm weak"

_No escape. Keeping people as slaves. Abuse of power. It's all starting to become clear_, thought the Governor 

The Governor now understands how Grady Memorial is run, it's basically a slave labor camp where no one can escape, and if they tried then God help them. They take in the weak, give them false hope and treat them like dirt

Noah stops walking which prompted the Governor to do the same, he then turns to the one eye man " I'm not weak. I'm strong. Sooner or later, I'm getting out of here"

Before the Governor had a chance to respond, the doors near them on their left suddenly burst open, which forced him and Noah to see both Gorman and O'Donnell forcibly dragging a woman by both arms into a room nearby

" Oh shit!" exclaimed Noah

The Governor looked at the teenager " You know her?" he asked

" Yeah, that's Joan" answered Noah

Dawn rushes around the corridor along with Doctor Edwards, passing both Noah and the Governor to get to the room where Joan had been dragged too after being notified by one her officers named Tim

Gorman and O'Donnell restain Joan to the bed, keeping a firm grip around her arms and wrists, holding them above her head, which revealed a bite mark on her lower right arm. Joan was trying to commit suicide by allowing one of the dead to feast on her until she was spotted by Gorman and O'Donnell

" Don't touch me" Joan hissed at Gorman while trying to wriggle and squirm out from the grip of both officers but to no avail. She wasn't strong enough to break free

Gorman frowned at Joan " Fucking whore! I'll show you" he raises the back palm of his hand to slap her across the face

" Get out, Gorman" ordered Dawn who now stands in the doorway

Gorman lowered his hand while still frowning at Joan " You will be mine again. You can count on that" he threatened

" Now!" said Dawn as she entered the room

Gorman softened his expression and then turned around, he leaves the room seeing both Noah and the Governor who was looking on in the background. Again, Gorman and the Governor briefly locked eyes before parting ways once more

_Something needs to be done about him_, thought the Governor

Doctor Edwards quickly walked over to where Gorman previously stood by the bed and holds up Joan's right arm again but this time not over her head, while Dawn went over to Joan's legs and holds one of them down 

" What the hell were you thinking?" Dawn asked Joan

" I was doing myself a favor," Joan said angrily " I'd do anything to escape this place" 

Dawn shakes her head and became determined to not allow Joan to die " You are not going to kill yourself. I won't allow it" noticing how deep the bite mark is now " We're going to have to cut it off," she said

" NO!" screamed Joan, again trying desperately to break free from her captors but still having no luck. She wanted to die and be free from Gorman and his buddies, she no longer wanted to be used as a toy

Dawn leaned in forward " I'll protect you from now on, I promise," she said softly

The Governor raised an eyebrow when Dawn said this while standing in the doorway with Noah. What did she mean by protecting Joan from Gorman? A lightbulb then went off in his head, as he now fully comprehends of how bad things really are in Grady Memorial

It all made sense to him. The miserable look on people's faces, not being able to leave, treated like slaves, Gorman hitting Rachel and now hearing of how Dawn and Joan spoke about that disgusting pig. Gorman is a rapist. A fucking rapist

" You can't control them" snarled Joan at Dawn

" I will!" promised Dawn 

Joan looked past Dawn to see the Governor looking directly at her, which prompted Dawn to turn her head around and see him as well

" Get in here and hold her down. Now!" barked Dawn 

The Governor notices Joan shaking her head at him, but with great reluctance, he does it anyway. He enters the room and holds down Joan's left leg, this allowed Doctor Edwards to cut off half of Joan's right arm followed by a loud scream


	6. Choices

  
It had been a very uneventful day in Grady Memorial for The Governor when he wasn't taking breaks, he was busy cleaning rooms and mopping floors. Every room had to be spick and span according to Dawn because of her compulsive need to keep things clean and organized. The Governor didn't mind cleaning since it kept himself occupied and fight off that urge of wanting to take over, considering how bad Dawn is running things. On the bright side, the Governor is now wearing the same clothing as Noah is

However, it is getting harder and harder to fight off that temptation, he hated weakness in those were chosen to lead a group, especially when they allow disgusting rapists like Gorman to get away with raping the women and hurting them if they speak out of turn. Now that he knows the system in Grady Memorial, it would be so easy to kill Gorman and then Dawn herself

Usurp the establish order and bring in a new order that's reasonable and less volatile. Allow the other residents to come and go as they please, protect the women. Perhaps maybe turn the city of Atlanta into the new Woodbury, slowly phase out the Biters in each sector and set up walls and what not

_Dawn is weak.......pathetic. She can't control her own men, she doesn't deserve to live_, a dark voice called to The Governor, urging him to take action and accept who he really is 

_No! I'm not that man anymore_

_You need to do something_, the voice called to him again

The Governor shakes his head, picks up the mop and bucket and headed into Joan's room to mop the floors. It was the only room he had left to clean before turning in for the night

He gently opens the door to find Joan still sleeping soundly in her bed, now sporting a stump where her right hand and wrist used to be. The Governor enters the room and begins mopping the floor, he occasionally glances over at Joan and thinking of the suffering she endured at the hands of Gorman

_No. Don't think about it, otherwise, it'll lead me to think_........ The Governor cut's himself off and focuses on mopping the floor around Joan's bed as best he can 

The Governor didn't want to be having these thoughts, he really didn't. He would rather just follow orders from a strong and effective leader like he was, and did whatever it takes to keep their people alive. However, Dawn's leadership and unwillingness to protect the people around her made things very difficult for him

Joan stirs from her sleep to find the Governor standing with his back to her " Hey" she said softly

The Governor turns around to face Joan " Hey, sorry if I woke you up"

" No, that's ok. I've been up for a while and just wanted to see if I can go back to sleep. But I can't, unfortunately" she looked away from him 

" Forgive me for intruding but what happened between you and Dawn yesterday?" asked the Governor. He already knew the answer but he wanted to hear it from the woman herself, despite the risk of facing his temptations again 

Joan looked back at the Governor and said nothing, just stared at him. She pondered as to whether or not tell this man about her traumatic ordeals at the hands of Gorman and his friends, her desperate need to escape this horrible place

" I've only been here for four days now and it didn't take long for me to figure out how bad things really are. How Dawn runs things" said the Governor 

" You don't know the half of it. Men like you, you have it easy. But for us women?" Joan shakes her head " It's a recurring nightmare that never ends" she replied

The Governor continues mopping the floor " Why doesn't Dawn stop Gorman? She's the leader and is suppose to be protecting her people. Not turn a blind eye and allow them to suffer" 

" She can't control them because it's easier to look the other way. Sooner or later, her own men will turn on her, just you wait. Dawn is losing it and she can't even see it" said Joan as she pushes herself up on the bed to get to a more comfortable position

" You really think it'll come to that?" asked the Governor as he stopped mopping and looked at Joan again

Joan met the Governor's gaze " The best thing you can do....." she then paused because she still didn't know this man's name

" Brian, Brian Heriot" answered the Governor

Joan nodded her head " The best thing you can do is wait for the right opportunity. Leave this place and keep running until your far away from Atlanta. It's not enough just to leave Grady, they will hunt you" she advised

" Lord knows I've tried......same with Noah. But it's not easy when you have to watch out from the dead while trying to escape the city and be on the lookout for Dawn's men as well. She should have just let me die" said Joan as she closed her eyes and allowed a single tear to run down her cheek

It's clear to the Governor that things in Grady Memorial need to change as he sees the pain on Joan's face, things can't go on as they are. The Governor can no longer just stand by and allow Gorman or anyone else does as they please

The Governor feels himself coming to a crossroads where he only two options. He can either give in to his dark desires by taking power for himself and kill those that deserve it, or he could go over to Dawn and force her to see the error of her ways. He feels Dawn isn't evil at heart, he could tell how deeply troubled she was when she promised Joan she would protect her and how in her mind, she's trying to keep things together

But there are better ways to be an effective leader 

_Kill Dawn, Gorman, and anyone else that get's in your way_, the voice called to the Governor again

_No! I can talk to Dawn and get her to see sense. I have to at least try_

" I'm sorry for holding you down yesterday and for everything else that you've gone through " sincerely apologized The Governor

" Something has to be done about this!"

Joan opened her eyes and looked at the Governor " Are you stepping up? And it's ok"

" Maybe" replied the Governor

" Well you have my support, Brian" joked Joan as she felt the Governor would not succeed in overthrowing Dawn and becoming the new leader of Grady Memorial. She wanted to believe him, but having hope was dangerous and disheartening in a place like this

" I'll let you get some rest," said the Governor as he grabbed the mop and bucket before leaving the room

Once, the Governor left the room, he places the mop and bucket down, he now wondered down the corridors and carefully considering his options. The thoughts of taking over and being the new leader were now strong as they have ever been, while also thinking about going to Dawn and get her to change her ways

The Governor had to do something now, he knows everything he needs to know about Grady Memorial and Dawn's leadership. He can't sit back and allow this madness to continue

_Dawn needs to know the seriousness of the situation, especially if Joan is right about Gorman possibly planning a coup,_ thought the Governor as he wandered down the corridor

_Forget her, she made her bed when she allowed that pig to rape the women. Dawn deserves to die just as much as Gorman and anyone else that thinks as they do. Be the leader Grady Memorial needs, restart civilization with Atlanta. After all, that was your original intention with Woodbury. Expanding and creating an empire, _ the other voice speaks to him again

_Dawn is misguided, she deserves a chance to change. Her men may have saved me out there and brought me here, but it was ultimately her that saved me. Dawn could have killed me, considering I was out for two days_

  
_Kill her!_

_No_

_KILL HER AND TAKE WHAT YOU DESERVE!!_

The Governor snaps out of his thoughts when he hears a familiar voice coming from the end of the corridor from where he is, but on his right side

" Get off me!"

" Why do you insist on fighting?"

The Governor picked up his pace, he walked to the end of the corridor and turned to his right where he sees a Rachel trying to escape the clutches of that disgusting pig, Gorman. From the look of things, not only is Gorman trying to kiss Rachel but possibly may think of raping her again

" The more you fight, the longer it'll be" mocked, Gorman

" Let her go, Gorman!" exclaimed the Governor, he feels his blood boiling with rage for Gorman and the thought about ending his life tonight feels so good

Gorman rolled his eyes and releases his grip on the poor woman in front of him " You stepping up Brian?" he asked as he turned to meet the Governor's furious gaze. This, in turn, allowed Rachel to escape, running past both Gorman and the Governor, turning down the corridor from where the Governor just walked down from

" Somebody has to, these women aren't yours. I know what you did to Joan......to the others. It has to stop" said the Governor as he walked right up to Gorman and gets in his face

Gorman smiled amusingly at the Governor " You see, that's where you're wrong. These girls are mine to do with as I please and giving them a firm old smack when they become disrespectful"

The Governor said nothing as he continued to fight an internal battle inside his head, the choices of taking Grady Memorial by force or inform Dawn and get her to change while she still can 

" I'll tell you this, Brian. Somebody will step up and that somebody is me. Dawn won't be in charge for much longer and when that happens, you should be very careful with how you speak to me" warned Gorman as he gets in the Governor's face, no longer smiling at the man

The Governor holds their intense gaze " You have no idea who I am and what I'm capable of. If I was in charge, you'd be dead by now" he said coldly

" So you are throwing your hat into the ring" Gorman softened his expression again " Too bad you don't have the manpower to back you up. I'm not scared of you, Brian" 

" You should be" replied the Governor

Gorman chuckled " Things are getting interesting. When Dawn's gone, you're next" he walked past the Governor, roughly hitting the man's shoulder as he did

The Governor turned around and watched Gorman leave, it had taken every ounce of will power to not kill the pig and give in to his temptations. He's now made his decision and hopefully, it'll be the right one, he will make Dawn see sense and make Gorman suffer for his crimes

Without wasting any more time, the Governor storms his way down the corridors, luckily for him he's on the right floor where Dawn's office is. He passes by several officers including Doctor Edwards, not even acknowledging their presence, while all of them looked at the Governor oddly when he passed them

The Governor turns down the next corridor and turned to the second room on his left where Dawn's office is located, he sees her writing something down. Good! Because if she wasn't there then he would check Dawn's bedroom next and he would rather not waste more time than he already has, while Gorman raped and plotted Dawn's demise

Instead of knocking on her door, Instead, The Governor throws the door open, storming his way into the room and surprising Dawn in the process

" Brian. What are you doing?"

"We need to talk!" said the Governor, closing the door behind him 


End file.
